René Fester Kratz, PhD, is a biology instructor at Everett Community College and the author of several science books written for the general public. She is passionate about developing science education that works.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Started with Botany Basics 5

Chapter 1: Exploring Botany 7

Chapter 2: Peering at Plant Cells and Tissues 13

Chapter 3: Vegetative Structures: Stems, Roots, and Leaves 47

Chapter 4: Reproductive Structures: Spores, Seeds, Cones, Flowers, and Fruits 71

Part 2: Discovering Plant Physiology 91

Chapter 5: Photosynthesis: Making Sugar from Scratch 93

Chapter 6: Cellular Respiration: Making Your Cake and Eating It, Too 115

Chapter 7: Moving Materials through Plants 127

Chapter 8: Regulating Plant Growth and Development 143

Part 3: Making More Plants: Plant Reproduction and Genetics 159

Chapter 9: Greening the Earth: Plant Reproduction 161

Chapter 10: Passing Plant Characteristics to the Next Generation 179

Chapter 11: Changing with the Times: Evolution and Adaptation 197

Part 4: The Wide, Wonderful World of Plants 213

Chapter 12: The Tree of Life: Showing the Relationships between Living Things 215

Chapter 13: Precursors to Plants: Bacteria, Protists, and Algae 227

Chapter 14: Examining the Forest Floor: Bryophytes and Seedless Vascular Plants 237

Chapter 15: Their Seeds Are Naked: Gymnosperms 261

Chapter 16: Say It with Flowers: Angiosperms 273

Chapter 17: I'm Not a Plant, But I'm a Fungi 287

Part 5: Embracing the Synergy of Plants and People 299

Chapter 18: Exploring the Relationship Between People and Plants 301

Chapter 19: Foraging, Farming, and Engineering Plants 321

Chapter 20: Making Connections with Plant Ecology 339

Part 6: The Part of Tens 355

Chapter 21: Ten Weirdest Plants 357

Chapter 22: Ten Tips for Improving Your Grade in Botany 363

Index 369